Pop-Up Grammar

How have we traditionally taught grammar?In the most traditional language classes teachers implement the PPP model of grammar instruction. Students are Presented with a grammar structure, they Practice the formation of the structure, and then try to Produce the structure in meaningful ways. In languages that have verb conjugations students would get the infinitive formContinue reading “Pop-Up Grammar”

CopyCat: A Quick, No-Prep, Post-Reading Game

I got this initial idea from Eric Richard’s Grafted Writing book, but today I gamified it a little bit because I needed to fill some time. Essentially: students COPY (not summarize, because we want them to read the right forms, and write the right forms) a number of sentences. Today, I had students do fiveContinue reading “CopyCat: A Quick, No-Prep, Post-Reading Game”

Brain breaks that won’t break your brain

A Brain Break is a pause in instruction to let students refocus, I’ve heard said that we should take our students average age (16 let’s say) and divide it by 2 (8) and after that many minutes you should change activities or take a break. I In a class of 45 minutes that means weContinue reading “Brain breaks that won’t break your brain”

Spoons! The classic card game with a reading twist!

I think we might all be familiar with the card game Spoons. Players pass cards around, trying to get 4 of the same card with a few spoons (one less than the number of players playing)in the middle of the table. When a player gets 4 of a kind they grab a spoon from theContinue reading “Spoons! The classic card game with a reading twist!”

Podcasts for Intermediate Learners

I got this idea today thanks to my new Department chair, Monsieur Jacobs. We have alternating Wednesdays at my new school. Classes are longer, but students only go to half of their schedule. For teachers, that *could* mean that their class sections are split, and starting the school year that could mean if you continueContinue reading “Podcasts for Intermediate Learners”